Hammond waives several late business and rental-registration fees, clarifies enforcement

Hammond’s board on Feb. 12 waived late fees in several separate hearings for small-business owners and rental-property owners and reiterated municipal registration and homestead-exemption rules.

Business license hearings: Daniel Spuljorek, owner of Tracy Construction, told the board he mistakenly did not obtain a business license in 2025 because he relied on annual contractor-license renewals; city staffer Lisa explained a contractor license and a city business license are separate requirements and that enforcement will be applied consistently going forward. The board voted to waive the late fee for Tracy Construction.

Interstate Roofing’s owner (Speaker 13) said he likewise misunderstood notices as contractor-license reminders; the board waived that late fee as well.

Rental registration hearings: Owners of several rental properties appeared. Alejandra Diaz (6711 Nevada) said she began renting on Sept. 1, 2025, and did not know of the required 60-day notification period; staff noted a homestead exemption on records and the board waived the late fee conditioned on removal of any improper homestead exemption. AG Capital LLC (7728 Chestnut) did not appear and the board imposed the late fee. Javier Vargas (1223 Indiana) and Michael McMillan (6410 Garfield) explained oversights after property purchase or family bereavement; the board waived late fees for those owners but directed that homestead exemptions be cleared where applicable.

Across hearings, staff instructed owners to complete forms and explained that rental registrations are annual between Jan. 1 and April 15. The board advised owners to follow up with the treasurer and clerk’s office to resolve homestead-exemption issues and pay any nominal registration fees.

Next steps: Affected owners will pay required fees or remove inappropriate homestead exemptions as directed; AG Capital LLC remains liable for the imposed late fee unless appealed.